A Writer's Conundrum

I am a writer. I don't know how good I actually am. I just acknowledge that I am one. I play with words. I try to construct coherent sentences and works from ideas that flee faster than a man who tries to get away from the husband of the woman he was having an affair with. Okay long analogy...

As I was saying... I've been doing this for as long as I can remember. It is a passion I feverishly pursued. I figured that since I enjoyed doing it I might as well try to make a living out of it. How hard could it be? An old mentor told us that we had to choose jobs we enjoyed so we did not have to work a day in our life. Honestly, how hard could it be?

Journalism and the whole college experience became a rude awakening of some sort. I still love what I do. I enjoy the course because I actually get what we're doing and talking about, although the application falls short occasionally.

The deadlines have never been my best friend. They hunt me down until I'm forced to write a mediocre piece because procrastination decided to accompany me as well. It's a lethal combination. Procrastination and deadlines... they're a nightmare.

Just recently we were faced with a seemingly impossible but at the same time doable task. For a veteran it would probably be a piece of cake but for newbies like us it was a horrible dream we wanted to run away from.

We were asked to write a news article on three press statements issued by the President Arroyo but we had to research and write the article in a span of three hours (our class period).

What made this horrid was the fact that our class was six to nine in the evening on a Saturday. That would mean that:

1. We had to hurry to the library to try to use the "free internet" before the library closed at seven.
2. We had to transfer to an internet cafe after that.
3. I had only 50 pesos with me. Good thing the printing and computer rental only cost me 24 pesos.
4. We had to come up with a decent piece in that short span of time because he tore our last one to shreds.

Nightmare is the only word to describe it. A friend of mine finished her story in less than 30 minutes. Don't ask me how she did it. I have no idea.

That was a horrendous experience but I know those deadlines come with the job. I can't help but ask what I got myself into...

I'm a writer. I love it with my heart and soul. It is fulfilling but seriously what did I get myself into?!